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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: leaves · bulb · fall · craft · chest · wound · nail · bark

  1. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bulb — for light
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. bark — to shout
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. fall — to drop
  10. craft — a skill
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. chest — of your body
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. chest — of your body
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bulb — for light
  18. craft — boats
  19. fall — the season
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. chest — a box
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wound — an injury

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com